I feel your presence right next to me
Yet you are a world away.
Not because you don’t love me
But because the world around me
Doesn’t allow me to love you.

I want to tell you I love you
But time loses patience
And leaves me with regret
Of not acting, not stepping up
Not being braver for one extra second
Before you leave.

I want to tell you I love you
But people come and go
And never give me a chance
Of a moment alone with you.
I like how everyone else disappears
When I am talking to you
But reality is that they are always around
And eventually the one disappearing is you.

I want to tell you I love you
But everyone else says
“Love is just a distraction
You need to study and study”
And unfortunately
They are the puppeteers of my life
They write the unspoken laws
Which I must abide.

So, I want to tell you I love you
But I can’t — I want to — but I can’t!
I hope one day
You might stumble upon my words
Engraved upon this poem
Perhaps you will read them
Deeper every time, into my soul
Just like how your voice always touches
The depth of my heart.

Then maybe
You can tell me
Against the judgements
Against the rumors
Against the criticisms
Against the disapprovals
You can tell me
Secretly
The two words —
“Me too.”